Fostering culturally-responsive, play-based learning as part of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Fostering culturally-responsive, play-based learning as part of California’s Statewide Early Math Initiative

Research by the AIMS Center for Math and Science

Brittany Caldwell, PhD Candidate, UC Santa Cruz Meghan Macias, PhD Student, UC Santa Barbara Leah Rosenbaum, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley

Agenda

Background CAEMI Project AIMS Center for Math and Science Education Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation Table Discussions (15-20 min) Whole Group Discussion (~15 min)

Project: California Early Math Initiative (CAEMI)

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

California Early Mathematics Initiative (CAEMI)

Goal: Increase access to play-based, culturally-responsive mathematics for CA learners aged 0-8 and improve outcomes. Process: Unite researchers, practitioners, coaches, and educators to create early childhood mathematics learning plans that involve both professional development and coaching support.

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

AIMS Center for Math and Science Education

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

AIMS Background

History: Beginning with an NSF grant in the early 1980s, the AIMS Education Foundation developed meaningful math and science activities and provided training and professional development to educators using these materials. Mission: The AIMS Center explores researched-backed practices for fostering playful, imaginative, creative, human-centered, and socially-informed approaches to teaching and learning mathematics and science, focusing on improving

• utcomes for learners in California’s Central Valley.

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Research Team

Paul Reimer, AIMS Center Director Jim Gribble, AIMS Fellow (UCSB) Alexis Spina, AIMS Fellow (UCSB) Meghan Macias, AIMS Fellow (UCSB) Leah Rosenbaum, AIMS Fellow (UCB)

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Brittany Caldwell AMIS Fellow (UCSC)

Research Overview

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Who’s who: A Multi-Tiered Approach

• AIMS Coaches: Professional learning experts that worked together to lead the

summer 2019 PD institute and provide year-round coaching.

• Research Fellows: Graduate students who collaborated with AIMS Coaches but are

also paired with a group of PLFs from one organization.

• Professional Learning Facilitators (PLFs): Teachers, directors, practitioners, and early

care providers that attended the summer 2019 institute. PLF’s are receiving coaching from the AIMS coaches as well as giving training to ECE’s.

• Early Childhood Educators (ECEs): Teachers, early care providers, and parents from

the PLFs respective communities. ECEs will receive training from PLFs.

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

• 1. Summer 2019 PD Institute -

Fresno, CA

• 2a. Year 2019/2020 Coaching

Received from AIMS

• 2b. Year 2019/2020 Coaching

Given to ECE’s

• 3. Summer 2020 Institute -

Fresno, CA

100+ PLFs from 30+ organizations 5 AIMS Coaches 5 Research Fellows

PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow

100+ PLFs from 30+ organizations 5 AIMS coaches 5 Research Fellows

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) in the community

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow

Cases

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Focal Cases

Apple Orchard Blackberry Patch Strawberry Field Orange Blossom County Office of Education Organization Type Resource and referral agency Preschool teachers + Resource and referral agency Resource and referral agency County office of education Team Composition 4 PLFs with combined decades

• f experience

3 PLFs with experience working together 3 PLFs from the same resource & referral agency 3 PLFs from the same county office

• f education

Goals Use a PBL model to instill playful attitudes about mathematics Hands-on/minds-on learning connected to cultural funds of knowledge Educate ECEs about play-based mathematics learning Play-based learning and the importance

• f early math

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Audience Review

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

• 1. Summer 2019 PD Institute -

Fresno, CA

• 2a. Year 2019/2020 Coaching

Received from AIMS

• 2b. Year 2019/2020 Coaching

Given to ECE’s

• 3. Summer 2020 Institute -

Fresno, CA

100+ PLFs from 30+ organizations 5 AIMS Coaches 5 Research Fellows

PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow

100+ PLFs from 30+ organizations 5 AIMS coaches 5 Research Fellows

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) in the community

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

PLF Organization, AIMS coach, Research Fellow

Review and Discussion Questions

1. What do you see as key elements (expertise, resources, contextual factors) that will contribute to this plan’s success? What do you anticipate might be major challenges? 2. Which elements, if any, could you envision implementing in your work? 3. Have you addressed similar concerns in your own context? If so, how? 4. Do particular research questions, frameworks, or additional resources come to mind to inform this project?

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

Key Elements Success:

+ Team of people w/ different roles (not just one person) + One-on-one coaching sessions + High quality text choices (e.g. Helm & Katz’s (2016) Young Investigators)

Challenges:

• Order and quantity of concepts

covered in the learning events.

• Ambitious goals: how do you make

material digestible for ECEs?

• Implementation challenges around

time and motivation, especially with educator schedules.

• How comfortable are the PLF’s

with adult learners?

• Is teaching culturally relevant math

“too much” for teachers?

Elements Transferrable to Your Work

• Having a more experienced

teacher sit with a less experienced teacher while watching an experienced teacher to help with highlighting what’s important in the interaction they’re observing

• Importance of making sure that the

PLF’s and ECE’s struggle through concepts the way their students might (visualizing individual students and building empathy.)

• In order to address resources

concern, consider Zeno: Make games and also provide instructions on how to teach the game

Research Questions or Frameworks?

• Adult learning theory (teaching

adults different from teaching children)

• Play looks different between

different ages → “Serious Fun” (NAEYC) provides resources on what play might look like for older children such as a 9 y/o

Background Research Overview Case Review Audience Participation

THANK YOU!

For more information, visit: aimscenter.org/caemi Or contact us: Brittany Caldwell - bbettner@ucsc.edu Meghan Macias - meghanmacias@ucsb.edu Leah Rosenbaum - leahr@berkeley.edu

Frameworks (opt)

Constructivist rather than didactic approaches to learning Communities of Practice/Communities of Learners (Lave & Wenger, 1981) Desimone’s (2009) for studying professional development:

Core features of PD:

• Content focus
• Active learning
• Coherence
• Duration
• Collective Participation

Increased teacher knowledge and skills; change in attitudes and beliefs Change in instruction Improved student learning

Context, e.g. teacher and student characteristics, curriculum, school leadership, policy